Gustave Dore "Satan"

Volunteer workers sorting donated books for this year’s Calgary, Canada Book Drive and Sale discovered a rare copy of John Milton’s Paradise Lost published in the early 18th century.The book was found in a box of otherwise unremarkable donations. Just who provided the volume, and how it found its way to Calgary remains a literary mystery.

Surprisingly, the Milton wasn’t the only treasure uncovered by sorters this year; a signed, First Edition of John Steinbeck’s 1947 book, The Wayward Bus, was also found. Both books, as well as a First Edition of Charles Dickens The Haunted Man from 1848 will be offered for sale in the special books section.

The annual book sale runs from June 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 this year, and benefits victims of abuse and adult literacy programs.

Milton's Paradise Lost